Batman the animated series is one of the best-animated series' and my favorite shows from childhood. This show brings back so many memories. I watched around three episodes and instantly loved it! I'll give my analysis of the show in this review with some spoilers!
Cinematography - I absolutely love the camera angles of the Batman animated series! The wide shots not only help us to see the characters but also help us explore Gotham city more.
Animation - I love the Batman animated series animation because of how well it fits the overall theme of the show! There's often shadows in many environments. I loved the "block" animation. It looked really nice. I especially loved the architecture, car designs, and settings! They looked authentic and had a style appropriate for the time the series was made.
Music - The music is very memorable and unforgettable! The opening sets the mood of the show in such a powerful way! You feel the suspense, fear, anticipation, and awe of seeing the Batman in action! The growing melody makes you feel all of those emotions. It helps me picture the Batman spreading his wings as he flies at criminals.
Another memorable piece of the score was "Harvey's nightmare." It was one of the scariest pieces of music the show's score had to offer! The melody made you feel like Harvey Dent's evil personality was playing it to torment you into embracing him.
Another memorable piece of the score was the Penguin's theme. It was catchy, energetic, and playful. It expressed the Penguin's personality exceptionally well!
Acting - All of the characters did a phenomenal job! They played their roles so well from their tones of voice to their accents, mannerisms, and more! The actor who played Batman has the best Batman impersonation ever.
Story - The Batman animated series almost follows the same story as the dark Batman comics. The only difference is some details were altered. The Batman animated series is an action-packed, suspenseful, humorous, scary, depressing, and exciting adventure! The Batman animated series has many memorable characters who leave lasting impressions on you! I was shocked at how dark this show got despite being geared toward children. It felt more like an adult show than a children's show.
The Batman animated series is unique because the characters change for better or worse. The characters' choices make a profound impact on one another. It's interesting and nerve-racking to see what characters do in different situations! I was deeply disturbed by some of the villains' origins such as the two-face episodes. Those were some of the scariest episodes I ever saw in an animated series!
Characters - Many characters are three-dimensional! They have their own personalities, emotions, etc. You can deeply analyze each character after every episode. Here's some of my favorite characters.
The Batman - He's a very traumatized and skilled crime-fighter! I love how he can communicate his feelings such as displeasure through his eyes and body language. Sometimes, the Batman needs help from others despite being mostly a loner.
The Joker - The Joker is the Batman's main archnemesis and one of my favorite villains. He's scary because he's unpredictable and chaotic. You don't know what he's capable of or what he's plotting to do at times. He has an iconic laugh and does things just because he can. His jokes are full of dark humor and sadism.
Two-Face - Two Face was a memorable character because he was a tortured soul! He struggled with two opposing personalities, one was good and the other evil. What I find very disturbing is how the show never explains how his evil personality was born. Two-Face is interesting. He's similar to the Joker as they both seem to believe life's meaningless and chaotic. Unlike the Joker, Two-face is somewhat redeemable. Two-face still makes good choices based on chance, questioning whether he's really a villain or hero.
Catwoman - Catwoman is very beautiful and unique. She's not a mere thief. She believes in helping cats from abusive humans. You can empathize with her. I don't see her as a villain. I see her more as an anti-hero. That's probably why she's attracted to the Batman.
The Ventriloquist - The Ventriloquist deeply disturbed me. He's similar to Two-face except his "acceptable" personality is very shy and anxious but his dark personality (AKA Scarface) is the exact opposite. Scarface is evil, arrogant, and the list goes on!
Theme - The Batman animated series deals with dark themes such as grief, trauma, loss, self-blame, and so on! The main message is you can never fully recover from trauma. It stays with you for life. You can use it to better other people's lives and your own.
The show also explores what causes people to commit crimes and whether it's possible to rehabilitate criminals or not. The show makes you think deeply about the psychological make-up of people rather than simply label them as good or evil.
Dialogue - The dialogue is diverse, emotional, and deep! Each character expresses him or herself in a very special manner! The dialogue is very thought-provoking! Sometimes, I reflected on the dialogue after watching some episodes and tried to analyze it. I wanted to find out what happened to particular characters.
Flaws - Despite the show's wide success, I felt it had some flaws. Some episodes felt like filler material. They didn't feel necessary. For example, I felt some episodes just centered the theme around Christmas for fan service.
In conclusion, I can't recommend the Batman animated series enough! This is a must-have DVD for your collection! I can almost bet money you'll love it regardless of your age or the time you grew up in!
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